UCLG Position Paper v_2 (eng)
22/12/09
18:13
PĂĄgina 11
UCLG Position Paper on Aid Effectiveness and Local Government
governments occupy an important niche and must be recognized as valued partners by the development community.4
the UN Development Cooperation Forum in an advisory capacity. Much remains to be done to translate this awareness into policy. The actions to be undertaken will need to be twofold: 1) inform donors, national partner governments and other development stakeholders on how local governments can contribute to aid effectiveness; and 2) identify key issues that should guide future discussions with the international community. This document aims at tackling both aspects.
Furthermore, local governments, through decentralized cooperation5, are playing an important role in the delivery of aid through peer-to-peer cooperation. Local governments and their associations mobilize community assets and significant resources that complement the financial contributions from donors. The delivery of these resources through programs and projects that are comanaged by southern and northern partners promote mutual accountability and enhance local capacity to plan, manage, implement and report on results.
Local Governments Call For Action Donors, multilateral and bilateral financial institutions, central governments and international organizations are called on to:
Awareness about the role of local governments in development cooperation is gradually increasing. The Accra Agenda for Action (AAA), which was the result of the mid-term 3rd High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra, Ghana (2-4 September 2008), includes specific timelines and recognizes the importance of democracy, improvement of governance, social progress and environmental challenges as prime engines of development. The role of local governments has explicitly been recognized in the development of national development policies. The AAA6 also recognizes the need to support capacity building initiatives of local authorities and emphasizes the importance of local resources in the provision of technical cooperation. In recognition of the value added brought by local governments in these policy discussions in Accra and New York, UCLG has been invited to become a permanent member of the OECD/DAC Working Party on Aid Effectiveness and it will also be working with 4
5
6 7
United Nations Millennium Development Goal 8 calls for a global partnership that brings together the private sector, NGOs, civil society and foundations to help leverage resources for the implementation of pro-poor urban and rural development strategies. Local governments should play a central role as partners in development. Decentralized Cooperation is used here to describe the publicly and privately funded aid provided by and through local authorities, local government associations, networks and other local actors. Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, Accra Agenda For Action, 2-4 September 2008, Accra – Ghana, art. 12 and 13. Governance refers to the process or approach for managing political, economic and administrative authority. The system of governance will determine how governments are selected or changed and the process through which citizens and groups define their interests and interact with institutions of authority, as well as with each other. Good governance accomplishes this in a manner that is essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for the rule of law.
11
1.
Formally recognize local governments as development actors in future development compacts and promote their participation in a systematic way in all stages of the development process.
2.
Support the recognition of local governments and their associations (LGAs) as legitimate development partners in the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action, and welcome the recognition of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments to become members of the OECD/DAC Working Party on Aid Effectiveness and the Advisory Board of the UN Development Cooperation Forum. This recognition should be expanded to all national and donor led consultations.
3.
Attach a fundamental importance to decentralization as an important building block for good governance and effective development assistance at the local level.
4.
Given its relevance as an indicator of a country’s development performance, governance7 should be a cross-cutting theme for central governments and donors in the same manner as gender equality, human rights and environmental sustainability so that it receives greater consideration during policy and program development.
5.
Adopt a more integrated approach to strengthening local governance that combines working locally, nationally, regionally and globally. This approach will